Kim Weaver, Math Education

Rich community is the primary reason that Kim Weaver loves Geneva. Whether in the residence hall, in class, in marching band or out on Memorial lawn, Kim praises the family atmosphere on campus.

It all started her freshman year in Clarke Hall. After all of the girls on her floor began to get to know each other, they developed strong relationships. “It was lots of fun,” Kim says, “We all had our doors open and we all hung out together. Everyone was just super friendly.”

Kim describes Geneva as “a very positive environment.” She believes her experience at school will be the best part of her life. “I think I have grown as a Christian and grown as a person,” notes Kim, “I have noticed personality differences since I was in high school.” She believes this has a lot to do with the people she is around. She also attributes the changes to the impact of Geneva’s intentional faith integration, which is what she was looking for after high school.

Kim finds this positive community in her Calculus classes, in marching band (she plays piccolo) or hanging out with friends playing board games. She loves spending time in her dorm or out on the lawn somewhere, whether to study or just relax. She appreciates the size of the campus because of the community it creates. “A small campus is really nice because you get to know everyone.”

Perhaps due to “senioritis” in high school, Kim feels that she didn’t put forth as much academic effort as she could have. “So transitioning into college was kind of hard,” she recalls.

But her professors at Geneva helped with the transition. They contributed to an upward, positive direction by being a part of her daily life. She sometimes eats lunch with faculty members, and they often have given her life lessons. Kim especially appreciates advice from her math professor, Edward Dambach, as he used to be a high school math teacher. This resonates well with her because teaching high school math is what Kim hopes to do after college.

“I have always wanted to be a teacher, as long as I can remember,” Kim says, “I like helping people a lot, and math has always been my best subject.” She looks forward to being able to encourage community and a positive environment in the classroom.

Kim encourages anyone coming to Geneva to be willing to engage with the community here. She recommends they look for practical ways to start conversation, such as putting up interesting posters or sharing nail polish. “If you are coming to Geneva you need to have an open mind,” She encourages, “Your freshman year, always keep your door open. Be willing to meet new people and put yourself out there. It will be a little uncomfortable, but it will be nice and you will meet new friends.”